Mercer nine out from Carpenter Cup final after play suspended Monday

PHILADELPHIA — The Mercer County all-stars are nine outs away from moving into the championship game of the Carpenter Cup.

But if they’re to bring home their second Carpenter Cup title Tuesday they’ll have to survive 12 innings of high-intensity baseball.

Leading, 2-1, with two on and none out in the seventh inning Monday against Jersey Shore at Citizens Bank Park, Mercer got thrown a curve by Mother Nature when play was suspended by rain after a brief downpour. Since heavier rain was expected, Cup officials decided to suspend action — probably too early. The game is to be resumed at noon, with the winner playing for the title one hour after its conclusion against Lehigh Valley.

Mercer is seeking its first Carpenter Cup crown since 2004.

“Mother Nature is the one thing we can’t control,” Mercer manager Brian Giallella said after his squad continued to get superb pitching, clutch hitting and excellent defense.

This time it was first game winner Paul Sparano of Ewing and second game winner Enzo Esposito of Notre Dame getting Mercer started as each allowed only two hits in their allotted three innings of work.

“Right now we have a new pitcher, Paul Balestrieri, coming in and if we win and get to the second game we’re going to have to find a way to make it work,” said Giallella, the Steinert coach.

The suspended game will be broadcast on www.WBCB1490.com, with the second game aired on WBCB 1490 AM and also on the internet.

If Mercer posts its third straight Cup win Tuesday morning it would play for the title against Lehigh Valley — from the Allentown/Easton/Bethlehem area — which got to the title round eliminating South Jersey’s Tri/Cape, 4-1, Monday morning.

“You couldn’t have drawn it up any better with the pitching we’ve been getting,” Giallella said. “To get three innings out of all these guys and do what else we had to do I couldn’t be happier.

“Hopefully we get through the next three innings then we’ll see what we can do,” added Giallella, who said Hightstown’s Dylan Malinosky, who has relieved in the each of the first three games, will be ready. Hanmilton’s Cody Astbury and Steinert’s Matt Moticha and Chris Geraci should also be ready having not pitched since they threw an inning of relief Friday.

Mercer staked Sparano to a 2-0 lead in the third starting with a great bunt base hit by Ewing’s Justin Dempsey that rolled down the third base line and never went foul. After Eddie Ashley walked, Brodie Catherina of Hopewell Valley picked the perfect place to drive the ball as he hit a two-run double to the gap in right-center.

He got to third when Hamilton’s Brandon Kirk beat out an infield single to third, but Hamilton’s Dave Osnato hit into a 6-3 doubleplay to end the scoring.

Two infield errors kept Jersey Shore under pressure, but two doubleplays prevented further scoring. The singles by WW-P North’s Scott Feryus and WW-P South’s Matt McCann will have Mercer threatening for more runs when play resumes.

Jersey Shore made it a one-run game scoring in the third when Spencer Young singled off Sparano and came around on a groundout. Esposito gave up back-to-back singles when he took over in the fourth, but Kirk quickly turned a 6-3 doubleplay to keep Mercer ahead — something Balestrieri will try to maintain as he takes over.